Radio Tonight

Date: Friday, April 30, 2010 4:14:10 AM
Subject: listen to that radio tonight tonight tonight

In Hong Kong, as soon as school is out (about 4:00) all the young men go to the "Da Gei Po" (or "hit games place" in Cantonese) and compete with each other on how loudly they can play their music and video games. This is also where many missionaries go once a week to send an email to their family. What I don't understand is why each time there is at least one person (usually five or six) who seem to have recently discovered their soul-song, and wants to share it and only it with the world. I think the band who sings this song maybe only knows a few sentences in English, so I get a hour of "Listen to that radio tonight tonight tonight." Why don't they just get a good mix that everyone can enjoy or make people wear headphones?

Sorry this is late. We had visitors from Mainland yesterday, and then other missionary things until five today. We're finally getting around to our P-day things. Which is good, because all I have to eat is oatmeal and whole wheat flour.

We went to help a less active member learn English on Monday. Chinese kids are so naughty, man. I think worse than Americans. I don't know. I guess some Americans are pretty bad. And some Chinese kids are ok. Anyway, they also made us dinner (the best home cooked food I've had), and during dinner the grandma asked if both of my parents were foreigners. She thought I looked like I had some Chinese in me. The mom said, "Of course not, he's a white person." Then the son said, "Actually he's a red person." Everyone tells me that. Everyone comments on the whiteness of my skin and the pinkness of my cheeks. It's weird. Then the daughter asked the mom why all white missionaries have such perfect faces. "His eyelashes are so long!" Are my eyelashes long? People here just say what they think. It's pretty funny. After a lesson with Jenny, she asked if we would eat. Elder Ngai told her that we were trying to lose weight. She said (to Ngai), "But you're so skinny!" (to me) "And you're... well... not as fat as Elder Gunderson."

Did I ever tell you that some of the elders looked at our family picture and said it looked fake? Like we are a family that Disney built for a tv show. Investigators always comment on how happy we are. So there you go.

Mandarin work is funny. Our investigators take just as long as other people's, but we almost always reach or surpass our baptismal goals because of visitors. It really is a marvelous work to be involved in. I found myself begrudging them for having chosen our P-day to come. What a pain right? Then I realized that I have just gotten so used to this amazing thing. That happens to us a lot I think, as members of the church. We are surrounded with so many good things and opportunities that we get used to them and stop caring. It's good sometimes to think about everything good in our lives, all the stuff we have. Like, baptizing people from Mainland. How do you just get used to that? I don't even know.

On Sunday I was at church early, and was shocked to see Jessica Li walk in. She came to visit family, and decided to go to the Mandarin Ward. It was pretty cool to talk to her. Unfortunately Elder Wall is still in Macau, so he didn't get to see her. It was pretty weird to see someone from High School. Nice though. I remember when she would try to talk to me in Mandarin before, and I couldn't even kind of talk back. Now I am better. Still not as good as I'd like, but I really have improved a ton. Actually I have reached the prestigious level of Language Giant! Wow huh? Now I can start to study characters. It's actually pretty exciting. I will get my cookies next zone conference. They are so good. I've tried them before.

Love you all. Be good. I will too.
-Noah